


Where My Demons Hide

by mediocre_writer921



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Demons, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25497952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mediocre_writer921/pseuds/mediocre_writer921
Summary: In an alternate universe, Safiya Nygaard miraculously survived a night of horrors in the little town of Everlock.When she comes home though... nothing is the same. Demons haunt her every moment, haunting her head with words of hate and memories of the past. No one else but her can see them, as if birthed from her own imagination. She is battling a war against her worst enemy: herself. It is a war she is losing.One day, it becomes too much for her. And so, she disappears, leaving behind nothing but a letter to her boyfriend, Tyler Williams.Tyler sets out to gather Safiya's fellow survivors and the seven of them embark on a journey to find the missing survivor and bring her home.Will they succeed? Will they bring her back? Or is it too late? Is she beyond saving?
Relationships: Joey Graceffa/Daniel Preda (mentioned), Matthew Patrick/Stephanie Patrick (mentioned), Safiya Nygaard/Tyler Williams
Comments: 20
Kudos: 16





	1. The Party's Arrived

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to Where My Demons Hide! I hope you enjoy this story! Fair warning: this book will contain sensitive topics such as PTSD, depression and suicide attempts. If any of these topics are sensitive/triggering, please do not read!
> 
> Now onto the story!

Safiya Nygaard never wanted to cause the deaths of the innocent. She never wanted to be a murderer. Yet here she was, the blood of seven YouTubers on her hands. Along with many others who were in the town of Everlock.

She was one of the sole survivors, along with Joey Graceffa and Matthew Patrick. All three had went their separate ways after that night, not wanting to remember the horrors that occurred on that fateful night on October 13th.

Matpat went on to begin a family with his wife, Stephanie. They now had a son named Oliver Patrick, Olli for short.

Joey had disappeared from the media completely, having to gone down a spiral of guilt. Despair. Remorse.

Safiya had returned to her loving boyfriend and cat, him being relieved that she was alright. Though nothing was ever the same again.

Nightmares haunted her. Filled with blood, screams and cries.

_Safiya knocked down the final bottle and went to go grab the jack-in-the-box._

_She tried to get it open as fast as she could, hoping to defy the rules of the game and save JC. By the time she got it to open and changed the head, he was dead._

_Her heart sank as she watched the life leave his eyes._

_"NOO!" Matt shouted in despair, knowing that he put him in that position._

_Not only did Matpat fail, but she did too. Forcing herself to move on Safiya shouted, "Grab Teala!"_

_That was the first of many deaths that night._

_Safiya watched as Roi knocked over the Jenga Tower, sacrificing himself to all of them. Surely she could've stopped him from doing so._

_Surely there could've been another way. He didn't even get a chance. As she picked Teala's card, she sat back down and hoped Roi came back._

_Safiya didn't want the other to die, but it would be a debt paid._

_Though he didn't come back. Instead Nikita did, anger taking over her features. "Whichever one of you b*tches voted for me, I'm coming for you next," she snarled, holding up the heart._

_Teala was the third one to go. And Safiya felt awful for voting for her every single time until her demise._

_This time, there were only four names to have been picked. Matt, Ro, Teala and herself._

_She didn't want it to be her, for Safiya felt like the group needed her. Same goes for Matt._

_Safiya couldn't bring herself to vote for sweet, innocent Ro. So instead, once again, she voted for Teala._

_When Teala didn't come back, she was relieved that Ro was alright and pulled her into a group hug with Matpat. Though that feeling was short-lived._ _Safiya felt a third death weigh on her heart._

_How many more of them had to die to save this town?_

_Next to go was Matpat, someone she considered a friend over the course of the night._

_She winced as she watched the Strong Man Challenge._

_Safiya had voted for Manny, but she didn't want either of them to die. None of them deserved this fate._

_When Manny slammed Matt's arm on the pad, Safiya couldn't look._

_I have this pit in my stomach like I'm gonna watch my die._

_And he did. Matpat was beaten to death._

_"Look for the Lazarus coin!" He shouted, struggling._

_Safiya consoled Ro as she cried, mourning the death of her best friend. Ro clutched onto his badge, refusing to believe that he was dead. And Ro was right. He wouldn't be dead for long..._

_The fifth death was Colleen's._

_There will be blood on all of your hands._

_Safiya walked_ _up_ _to Calliope and pointed at Colleen's card. She walked away, holding screams of terror and shock in._

_She didn't want Colleen to die, but Safiya also didn't want it to be her._

_"Stop! Please, don't do this! Please! Don't do this! STOP! Please, you guys! Please stop! Please! Please don't do this to me! Please! PLEASE!" she cried as Joey, Manny and Nikita shoved her into the Maiden of Madness._

_Safiya closed the door on her, covering her ears so she wouldn't have to hear Colleen scream. Holding tears back, Safiya slowly removed her hands and left the room, not before taking one last look at the iron maiden._

_I'm sorry Colleen._

_Shortly after, Joey and Safiya put the Lazarus Coins into the Lazarus Box. When Joey got the Harp of Lazarus, they all realized that they could bring one of them back._

_She only had one name on her mind: Matpat._

_And their wish was granted. Her friend was back._

_"It worked! It worked!" she cried happily, hugging Joey._

_But the happy moments were gone in a flash. The group had faced the horrors of the Funhouse. Ro and Safiya were the only ones who escaped. And they got to choose who went into the challenge._

_It was a hard decision. But it had to be done._

_Ro voted for Manny. Safiya voted for Nikita._

_The two of them waited for the others to come back, feeling terrible for sending the two best friends in. But what other choice was there?_

_When Manny didn't come back, Nikita stormed in, enraged._

_"WHY DID YOU VOTE FOR US!" she roared, angry tears streaming down her face._

_Ro and Safiya flinched, not answering._

_"YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" she roared._

_"I WATCHED HIM GET HIS GUTS RIPPED OUT. AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_Then... came the Witches' Sacrifice. Rosanna._

_Matt came first, determined to not die again. Joey followed, relieved that he was safe from harm._

_Safiya landed in third, for she had flown through the_ _first_ _two portions of the challenge, but struggled with the last._

_Damn those bells._

_When_ _she finally reached the alter, she sighed in_ _relief_ _. Safiya was safe..._ _but_ _then realized that she condemned Ro to her death._

_"No..." she whispered._

_The_ _witches_ _grabbed Ro and she didn't fight back._ _"I love you..." she said, smiling_ _at_ _Matt, who was holding tears back._

_He was about to watch his_ _best_ friend _die. "I love you too Ro. You've been_ _the best_ _friend anyone could ask for."_

_The coven hauled Ro to their alter and Matt cried, "Be brave Ro! It's okay!"_

_They all closed_ _their_ _eyes as the blades came crashing down, not wanting to see such a cruel sight._

_"She's dead," Matt cried and Safiya wrapped him into a hug._

_"It's alright Matpat. She's_ _in a_ _much better place than we are now."_

_"Stupid town," he sniffled as they headed_ _back_ _to Fatman's Slims._

_Lastly, was Nikita._

_Each of them put their own name in the deck, not wanting to turn against one another. It was fair._

_Her card was pulled. And so was Nikita's._

_In the end, Nikita found the pink gun. "Kill yourself or kill your friend. You decide how this ends."_

_This is it._

_This is where Safiya dies._

_"She gets to decide?" Matt asked in shock._

_Nikita shakily held up the gun. The fire in her eyes was gone. She couldn't_ _bring_ _herself to_ _shoot_ _Safiya, though she was the reason why her best friend was dead._

_"I'm sorry," Nikita whispered and turned the gun, shooting herself. As Nikita fell, Safiya trembled in shock._

_"She shot herself?" Matt exclaimed._

Safiya jolted awake, cold sweat beading her forehead. Nightmares like those haunted her every night since she came back from Everlock. She wished they would just go away. 

But Safiya knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Safiya, Matt and Joey had headed their separate ways since that night. She isn't quite sure what they're up to, other than the fact that they've completely disappeared from social media. She hoped they were alright. That they were coping with the bloodshed.

Sometimes she wondered if it would be better if she just died that night. She wasn't close with any of the YouTubers beforehand, so her death wouldn't have been such a huge blow like Ro's. They would've forgotten about her, if anything. 

"Saf?" Tyler mumbled, stirring awake. "Nightmares again?"

She nodded slowly and he sat up, pulling her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. Safiya slowly relaxed, feeling safe in his arms. At home.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly and she shook her head. 

Instead, she broke the distance between them, their lips meeting. He pulled her leg, causing her to sit in his lap. They finally broke apart, foreheads touching. Breathlessly he said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I know that night haunts you and I shouldn't justify what you've done, but know I see past your flaws Saf. I know the real you. Everlock isn't part of that."

He brought his lips to hers again and they both laid down again, him falling asleep next to her. Safiya could feel his breath on her neck as he pulled her closer to him. She smiled, grateful that she had him in her life. Closing her eyes, Safiya was about to fall asleep again when she saw something in the mirror.

Seven figures. Each resembling a friend that died that night. 

They all resembled them, but something was different about them. 

A man dressed in a hippie costume, stomach bleeding from his wound from the clowns. The knife was still lodged in his stomach, as if it never left. Color was drained from his face. His eyes were a dark abyss, lifeless.

A man dressed in a daredevil costume, flashing her a wicked grin. He had fangs dripped with venom. A large chunk of his neck was missing, a bloody mess of venom and blood. He had golden eyes, though it wasn't much more comforting than the previous demon's.

A woman dressed in a super spy costume, her neck a rainbow of black and blue. She sneered at Safiya as her green eyes glowed brighter than ever. The demon of Teala hissed at Safiya, emitting green gas from her mouth.

A woman dressed in a disco dancer costume, her bloodstained body mutilated and stabbed. She gave Safiya a twisted smile, blood dripping from it. Half of her teeth were missing, chipped in half or lodged where it wasn't supposed to be. Her eyes were like buttons, the ones that you'd find on dolls' eyes.

A man dressed in a record producer costume, a fishhook in his abdomen. He laughed maniacally, at first happy, then sad, then scared and finally, angry mocking laughter. Instead of eyes, he had orange swirls that spun rapidly, as if trying to pull her into a trance.

A woman dressed in a jet-setter costume, covered in blood and vomit. Knives were lodged in her head and chest, the wounds still bleeding. As if they were raw and fresh. The petite demon waved at her, through there was no kindness to be found in the act. Her eyes were as dark as night, and just as cruel.

And finally, a woman dressed in a troublemaker costume, a bullet wound bleeding from her head. The red blood was a noticeable difference from her white wig. It spilled onto her face, a streak. She snarled and growled at Safiya. 

"Hello Safiya. Missed us?" they hissed.

That was only the beginning. The ride on the highway to hell was only beginning.

Come along, it's a season ticket on a one-way ride. The demons don't like to wait.


	2. Piece by Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Monsters don't sleep under your bed, they sleep inside your head."
> 
> The voices are getting worse and Safiya doesn't know how to deal with them. What can she do now? She doesn't want to be a burden

**~~~months later~~~**

_**YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED.** _

_**SOMEONE ELSE DESERVED TO COME HOME. NOT SOME WEAK, STUPID GIRL!** _

_**LOOK AT ALL THE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS! YOU DESERVE TO ROT!** _

Their words echoed in Safiya's head, as they have been for months. She wanted to forgive herself. Forget everything that happened in Everlock. But the demons wouldn't let her.

You would think that it's all just her imagination, but they also do real damage.

Real... yet not real at all.

_**YOU SHOULD'VE DIED WHEN WE TOLD YOU TO!** _

Safiya winced, tensing up. She curled up, putting her knees to her chest and covering her ears. Images of their last moments with her flashed in her mind, conjuring things that she hadn't even seen.

"Leave me alone!" Safiya yelled, shutting her eyes and blocking out their words. They wouldn't go away, their voices growing louder and louder.

_**HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU! YOU'RE JUST A CHARITY CASE TO HIM! WHO WOULD LOVE A BROKEN GIRL?** _

Safiya let out a scream of pain, wanting it to end.

They were right. She should've died.

It seemed much kinder compared to what she was going through now.

~~~

"Safiya?" Tyler asked, coming into the house. No answer.

"Saf? Are you okay?" he asked again, frowning. Tyler walked into the living room, finding Safiya just as how he left her. By the window, staring out at the cloudy skies. He had been gone for hours to run errands.

He worried that she hasn't moved an inch.

She may have lived the town of hours, but she wasn't truly alive.

Everlock's damaged her beyond repair.

He wanted his girlfriend back.

Tyler knew it was selfish of him to think that way, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to see her bright, beautiful smile again, her eyes light up when she's passionate about something, her lame jokes, _everything._

He wanted her to be happy again. But he knew it wouldn't be that simple to bring her back. 

Tyler took a silently next to Safiya, lacing his fingers through her own. She finally turned to him and whispered, "They're back again."

Wordlessly, he pulled her into an embrace and let her cry.

"Th-they won't l-l-leave me alone, Ty."

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

His girlfriend shook her head and they just sat in silence.

~~~

Safiya couldn't find the sun anymore. All she could do was stand in the rain. She couldn't control what came from the rain. 

_What happened to me?_

_I used to be happy. Now I'm drowning in an ocean of sadness. Regret. Anger. Guilt._

The worst part about the demons is that they hardly left her. They were a part of her, whether she liked it or not.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Safiya found herself lying on the bed. She wasn't here before... 

Safiya sat up, seeing Tyler at the edge.

"Go to sleep, Saf. You need to rest, my love," Tyler said. He must have carried her here.

"I can't..."

He sighed, taking his spot next to her. "Try for me. I'm here for you. I won't let anything happen to you." 

Tyler kissed her forehead and she laid down again, feeling him stroke her hair. "Goodnight Saf. Sweet dreams. I love you."

She mumbled, "I love you too."

Safiya knew she couldn't live like this anymore. 

No matter how much Tyler cared for her, it wasn't enough. 

_**YOU'RE JUST A BURDEN TO HIM.** _

They were right. She _was_ a burden. 

Safiya couldn't condemn Tyler to a life full of her broken self. He deserved better.

 _Someone_ better.

As much as she loved him, she had to let him move on with his life. 

Safiya loved him too much to let him live his life like this.

She waited until he fell asleep before getting up and enacting her plan.

_**HE WON'T MISS YOU ANYWAYS.** _

_**IT'D BE BETTER IF YOU JUST DIE. LET EVERYONE MOVE ON AND STOP PITYING YOU.** _

**~~~3 am~~~**

She grabbed her bag silently, leaving on the nightstand a letter of goodbye.

He at least deserved an explanation. 

Tears spilled from her eyes and she forced herself to leave. Get out of this town of misery.

It was the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry, Ty," she whispered before kissing his forehead. He was dead asleep, the perfect time to leave. "I love you. More than anything. It's why I'm doing this. You need someone who isn't broken like me."

_**A SHAME HE DOESN'T LOVE YOU BACK. HE JUST PITIES YOU.** _

_**THAT'S WHY HE STAYS.** _

_**WHO WOULD LOVE A MURDERER?** _

_I can't do this anymore._

_I'd rather die._

_Why did I have to survive? Death is a much kinder ending._

_**WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED YOURSELF YET? SHOW YOURSELF SOME MERCY.** _

_**OR SHALL WE SHOW YOU WHAT PAIN IS? YOU WILL FORGET WHAT PAIN IS AFTER WE'RE DONE WITH YOU.** _

_**WE CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE LIVING HELL.** _

**_SHOW YOURSELF SOME MERCY._ **

More tears streamed down her face as she forced herself to leave. Safiya knew deep down that no one would run after her anyway. 

Why would they? They shouldn't.

It would save them a lifetime of pain. 

After all, there was only so much a person can take before they start to break.


	3. Gone Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler wakes up to a not-so-pleasant surprise in the morning. The survivors come together to try and figure out what is wrong and where Safiya could've gone.

Tyler woke up the next morning noticing the other side of the bed was empty.

_Strange, Saf must already be awake._

"Safiya?" he asked, looking for her. He worried that she was up this early again because of nightmares.

Silence. 

This was normal right? Safiya usually didn't respond when he called for her anyway, these days. Maybe she didn't hear him?

"Babe? You here?" 

He went downstairs, hoping to find her there _._ She was nowhere to be found.

"Saf?" Tyler asked. "Where are you?"

Maybe she went to go run an errand? But why wouldn't she leave a note? Text him? _Something._

He searched throughout the house shouting, "Babe this isn't funny! Don't mess with me like this!"

Tyler was getting worried, thinking this wasn't a prank anymore.

When he finally returned to their bedroom, he noticed a piece of paper on the nightstand by the bed. 

Picking it up, he read it and his heart sank.

_This can't be... tell me she's joking. That Safiya's messing with me._

_I have to call someone. Someone who would understand._

Picking up his phone, he held tears back and dialed a number he knew he could trust.

~~~

"What do you mean she's gone?" Matt shouted, bewildered. 

Tyler had been pacing the floor for the past twenty minutes, unable to answer. Matt realized why.

_Tyler thinks it's his fault she left._

Matt picked up the letter Tyler threw on the floor and read it.

_Dear Tyler,_

_I can't do this anymore. My demons are driving me mad._

_I don't want be a burden to you. You deserve better than that. That's why I'm leaving. Please don't come after me. I can't drag you into the mess I've created._

_I'm grateful for everything you've done. Thank you for loving me endlessly, even when I was the biggest pain in the ass you could ever imagine. You complete me, but we both know that this can't work._

_Find a girl who can love you more than I can, Tyler. Don't mourn me. Don't mourn what we've had._

_We're over Ty._

_But I will love you forever and always. Until the day I die._

_-Saf_

"Crap..." I whispered.

_I have to get the others. We have to find her._

~~~

"I should have never invited her," Joey said sorrowfully. He put his head in his hands in frustration, beating himself up over this.

"YOU SHOULD'VE NEVER INVITED ANYONE IN THE FIRST PLACE! TO YOUR STUPID DINNER PARTY!" Eva roared, furious. She and Safiya weren't close, after all, Everlock had only occurred a few months ago, but that mean Eva didn't care. It also didn't help that she was currently drunk.

Eva had become a bit of an alcoholic after the whole dinner party. To forget everything that's happened.

"She had a life that she loved. It wasn't perfect, but if it weren't for you, she'd be happy!" Oli agreed quietly, looking anxious and darting his eyes around Safiya and Tyler's house. He was waiting for some monster to creep out and try to kill him.

He learned his lesson. And kept his guard up every since. Hardly left the house nowadays. Locked himself in his room.

Tyler (W) flinched, something flashing in his eyes. Andrea gave him a concerned look. She kept quiet though, afraid of what would happen. Instead, she bit her fingernails out of nervousness.

Andrea wasn't very socially active either. In fact, she cut off contacts with everyone but the survivors, refusing to talk to anyone but them. It wasn't a healthy way to cope, but they wouldn't understand the horrors of the Victorian Era.

"Guys stop fighting! We won't find her if we keep doing this!" Tyler (O) said, raising his voice. He was still on social media, unlike the other six, but was always _working._ It helped him forget about everything, gave him a purpose. 

As you can tell, this group is in rough shape. And kind of a hot mess.

"If I were Safiya, where would I go?" Matt murmured, thinking. 

"Good question," Joey replied, noticing Tyler's (W) silence. He would ask him if he was okay, but that would be a stupid question.

Starting off your morning with the love of your life dumping you and running away is a bad start.

"Tyler?" Joey asked, concerned for the man. 

"This is all my fault. I wasn't doing enough. I could have stopped this from happening. But instead, like an idiot I didn't see the red flags."

"It's not your fault, Tyler. Don't beat yourself up about it," Eva soothed, putting a hand on his back. 

"How long have the demons been haunting her?" Joey asked.

"Ever since she came back."

"Sh*t," Matt cursed, running his fingers through his hair. "How did we not see that something was wrong, Joey?" Matt asked and Joey didn't have an answer to that question.

~~~

This was worse than Andrea first thought it was.

"We gotta find her, help her somehow. They're figments of her imagination right?" Andrea questioned and Tyler nodded.

"They're not real, only she can see them. But they do real damage. I found bruises on her the other day."

"Crap," Tyler (O) murmured. "Well, we can't waste time or she's going to do something drastic. I have a bad feeling about this."

Andrea was concerned that Safiya's demons would torture her to death. She's read about this kind of crap in books before. Drive Safiya to insanity. She didn't want that for her fellow survivor.

Or for anyone, for that matter

"Where could she be?" Andrea mumbled.

"I've got it! I've got her location!" Matt exclaimed triumphantly, holding up his phone.

Andrea gave Matt a blank look. 

"Well? Tell us!" Eva snapped impatiently.

"She's at..."


	4. Leave Me Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nothing holds you back more than your own insecurities."
> 
> The survivors form a plan to bring Safiya back home, but will all be able to cooperate with each other? Well... not everyone is getting along. They'll have to put the past behind them and focus on the present, or it'll be too late to save the former Investigative Reporter.

**_YOU CAUSED MY DEATH_ **

That was JC's demon. He decided to keep Safiya company. Thankfully, all of them weren't there.

**_I WOULD STILL BE ALIVE IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU AND MATPAT._ **

He kicked her in the stomach and she fell back, clutching her abdomen. 

"GO AWAY!" she shouted, sick of being pushed around by JC.

She wiped blood from her nose where he had punched her earlier.

**_YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME FOREVER. I'LL BE BACK._ **

JC's demon disappeared though, but Safiya knew it wouldn't be long.

_**WE'RE A PART OF YOU. YOU CAN'T GET RID OF US, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY.** _

Safiya just sat on the hard, wooden floor, tears brimming.

_I should've died._

_No one would've missed me anyway._

**_NO ONE EVEN CARED IN THE FIRST PLACE._ **

**_TAKE MATPAT FOR EXAMPLE. DID HE REALLY CARE FOR YOU? WAS HE REALLY YOUR FRIEND? OR WAS HE USING YOU TO REPLACE RO?_ **

**_OR TYLER. DID HE REALLY LOVE YOU OR DID HE JUST PITY YOU? HE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS._ **

Safiya flinched.

**_END YOUR SUFFERING SAFIYA._ **

**_IF YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR EVERYONE._ **

A knife appeared next to Safiya.

_That wasn't there before-_

Her phone vibrated and she saw it was Tyler. Expression hardening, she declined the call.

It went back to her lockscreen, which showcased a picture of him. As much as she wanted to change it, she couldn't.

A tear slipped down her face, landing on her screen.

_I'm sorry, Ty._

~~~

_I'm sorry, Saf._

_"Hmm... Gryffindor. No, Ravenclaw... Yes you definitely belong in Ravenclaw, the best house here at Hogwarts. Okay fine, you haven't reached the Sorting Hat-- this is the voicemail of Safiya Nygaard. Please leave your name, number and just for fun, your Harry Potter house after the beep. I'll return your call as soon as possible. Have a wonderful day!_ "

Tyler sighed and hung up.

_Of course she wouldn't pick_ _up_ _, what were you thinking?_

He looked at his lockscreen for a brief moment before turning his phone off.

He couldn't bear looking at the picture of Safiya, all bright and happy.

_What happened to us?_

_Right. Stupid Everlock._

Tyler snapped back to reality, trying to pay attention to what Matt was saying.

"Everlock?Why would she go there?" Joey asked Matt, baffled at his answer.

Wait a damn minute...

"It would make sense, would it not? That stupid town is the reason why this is all happening!" Matt snapped.

"Other than Joey of course," Eva muttered under her breath and Joey glared at her.

"What? I'm only telling the truth."

"Okay sure, but first of all-"

"Would you two stop it? Gosh," Tyler (O) groaned.

Eva and Joey shut their mouths, but she still threw him a nasty glare.

"Now that that's out of the way, what's our plan going to be?" Andrea asked the group.

"Go to Everlock, obviously," Oli replied.

"No sh*t, but when are we going to leave? We can't just go unprepared, but we also can't waste time," Tyler (W) sighed, pushing his thoughts aside.

Now was not the time to mope.

"Why don't we go tonight? I have a van that can fit us all," Joey offered.

"Are you sure that's even enough time?" Matt questioned.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Tomorrow morning then. We meet here at 8."

"Sounds like a plan," Andrea chimed.

~~~

The group went their separate ways and headed to their homes. Matt exhaled as he remembered something.

_I can't just leave Steph and Olli on such short notice._

He couldn't just abandon his family to find his friend. It sounds wrong to say, but it was true.

_What are you thinking, Matpat? Why would you think such a thing about your friend?_

Matt drove up his driveway and parked his car.

_Come on, Matt. Think. What would Rosanna do?_

The thought of his best friend made him tear up.

Her last words haunted him every night.

Only Ro would try to smile for a friend when she's being hauled to her death.

His thoughts drifted to Mike and Ro's family. He felt guilty, knowing that he could've done something to save her.

But it's too late now. She's dead.

_I'm so sorry Ro._

~~~

_I need a drink._

Eva unlocked the door to her house and walked inside. Sauntering into the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and just drank straight from the bottle.

_Doesn't matter anyway. I'm the only one who's gonna drink from this._

She just wanted to forget everything that happened that night in the 20s. It's why she burned her Journalist costume.

Eva felt herself slip into those memories before she could stop herself.

_"Y'all jealous?" Shane joked before_ _he_ _started choking_ _on_ _his blood. He was poisoned._

_The group tried, but ran out of time._

_Their fifteen minutes were up._

_Shane was dead._

_"Come on! You're almost there!" Andrea shouted, trying_ _to_ _encourage Justine._

_Eva plugged in the last_ _wire_ _and the chamber that held Andrea filled with gas._

_An hour later, the group carried Justine into a coffin, her last words_ _being_ _, "Joey! Don't let them do this!"_

_They closed the coffin lid on her, hearing her scream_ _and_ _cry as they buried her alive._

_Then came GloZell. She thought she was safe from death at that moment. GloZell was wrong._

_All of a sudden, she started choking on her blood and convulsing, crashing to_ _the_ _ground._

_Not long after, Sierra joined her. Eva didn't witness her death herself,_ _but she_ _practically sent her_ _into_ _her death._

_Matt claimed Sierra's death_ _was an accident. She believed him. For the most part._

_But_ _the_ _fact that he refused_ _to_ _help and completely checked out was the last straw._

_She had felt no remorse when she_ _started yelling at Matt. Eva actually cheered when he didn't_ _come_ _back, rather than comfort Tim when he lost his friend._

_And he followed right after in a twisted game_ _of_ _Russian Roulette._

_She couldn't bear watching him shoot himself._

_So instead, Eva closed her_ _eyes_ _and covered them with her hands, yelping when the bullet_ _went_ _off_

_Lastly, was Lele. The two had bonded over the course of the night and were_ _now_ _pitted_ _against_ _each other._

_Eva couldn't let Oli die. Not without trying._

_In the end, Eva managed to save Oli, but watched Lele get electrocuted to death instead._

_She escaped with her life. But at what cost?_

Eva accidentally knocked the bottle to the ground, shaken. Breathing heavily, she realized that there was glass everywhere.

_Now I have to clean this up._

Taking a deep breath, she banished thoughts of that horrid house and went to pick up the glass.


	5. Come Back To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The survivors prepare to go back to the town in the Seventies to find their friend. What could possibly be in store? As they remember the horrors of the past, they know that they can't let another friend fall into the hands of Everlock. Not after so many lives lost and all they fought to get out of there.

**_YOU RUINED MY CHANCE TO GET MARRIED._ **

Colleen's demon snarled at her, appearing in front of Safiya.

_Oh no..._

Safiya backed away, afraid of what was going to happen.

She had a knife, but what the hell is a knife going to do to a demon?

Another demon appeared next to Colleen's.

_**YOU LEFT ME TO DIE. WHY?** _

Rosanna.

The two demons came closer to Safiya, snarling and growling. As much as she tried to convince herself that these demons were just a part of her imagination, they were very, very _real._

"Leave me alone!" she cried.

_**WHY SHOULD WE? YOU DESERVE TO SUFFER. YOU CLOSED THOSE DOORS ON ME AFTER ALL.** _

Images of Safiya closing the iron maiden's doors on Colleen flashed in her mind, hearing the Disco Dancer's screams.

_**BESIDES, IT'S NOT LIKE ANYONE CAN SAVE YOU NOW. MATPAT DITCHED YOU. JOEY DITCHED YOU. YOU CUT OFF TYLER. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE YOUR STUPID LITTLE CAT. YOU'RE ALL ALONE SAFIYA.** _

_**NO ONE CAN SAVE YOU FROM YOURSELF NOW.** _

She remembered how she and Matt went through the curtains that contained Everlock.

A town that destroyed her.

Yet she came back.

She felt a pair of hands wrap around her neck.

~~~

_"Wow Safiya, you're actually going out for once? With friends?" Tyler asked jokingly and she glared at him._

_"Shut up, Ty," she answered, putting on a brown aviator jacket._

_"I'm just messing with you, Saf. Have fun. Stay_ _safe_ _for me, alright?"_

_She hugged_ _him_ _at the front door of their house. "I will. I'll be back_ _soon_ _, alright?"_

_He hugged her back._

_"I'll be waiting_ _for_ _you."_

_She pecked him on_ _the_ _lips. "I love you."_

_"I love_ _you_ _too."_

_She_ _went_ _out_ _the_ _door and onto a bicycle. Tyler watched as she slowly disappeared and closed the door._

_It's_ _just_ _one night. She'll be home soon._

_As the hours went on, he started to worry. Picking up_ _his_ _phone, he tried texting her._

_But there was no answers. Then he remembered she left her phone at home._

_Strange. She never left without it. Nor would she forget._

_Tyler was unaware that the woman he wanted to marry was fighting for her life in a_ _town_ _in the 1970s._

_He didn't_ _know_ _that the_ _woman_ _he wanted to spend the_ _rest of_ _his_ _life with was burying her friends into their graves._

_When she did come_ _home_ _though..._

_That_ _was_ _when_ _everything_ _changed._

~~~

Tyler (W) woke up, hoping that everything that has happened in the past few months was all just a dream.

A really horrible nightmare.

He'd open his eyes to Safiya snuggling close to him, still sleeping with a peaceful look on her face.

But in reality, she was gone, her side of the bed empty.

Tyler sighed and forced himself to get up.

_Get over yourself, Tyler. Just accept the fact that you're a single man now._

Tyler definitely didn't miss the feeling of being single. His life was made better by Safiya.

That's why he was planning on proposing. But he never got the chance. He wanted to wait for the right time.

Now he won't.

Running his fingers through his hair, Tyler snapped back to reality and got ready for the day, going downstairs.

Crusty circled around Tyler's legs, meowing. "Hey there you little bastard."

He bent down and scratched the cat's head. Taking his car keys, he said to the cat, "I'll see you soon buddy."

Tyler got into his car and drove to Joey's house, ready to go on a mission to bring Safiya back.

If he had the chance to, he would trade all of her pain to him.

"Please come home, Safi," he whispered, driving away.

~~~

 _Tyler (O) approached the_ _voting_ _table_ _where Allison was_ _for_ _the first time that night._

_And_ _it_ _wouldn't be his last._

_Feeling guilty,_ _he_ _picked_ _Lauren's card._ _Because_ _she hadn't really contributed to the group and all and refused to go into the ballroom to fetch Dorian when given the opportunity._

_When Lauren didn't come back, his heart sank._

_"This is all your fault!" Alex cried,_ _heartbroken_ _that his girlfriend was dead._

_Tyler couldn't look at him, feeling_ _terrible_ _that he voted Lauren in._

_The_ _following_ _hour, was Jesse's death._

_Destorm and Jesse had mysteriously disappeared_ _when_ _the_ _group_ _uncovered a_ _room_ _they didn't realize was there before._

_He voted for Tana that time. Gabbie and Tana both went into the death challenge, but both came back._

_With Destorm. Jesse was_ _nowhere_ _in_ _sight_ _._

_That's when he realized that they were playing a complicated game with many rules._

_Next up was Destorm._

_Tyler had been on the winning team, safe from elimination. While relieved, he was unsure if he wanted the others to die._

_Tyler voted for Destorm. Surprisingly though, the group was led outside by the pool to_ _watch_ _the death challenge._

_To watch one of their friends get killed._

_In the end, Alex found the gem, waving_ _in_ _triumphantly in the air. The cost of finding it, was Destorm's death._

_He_ _was_ _shot with an arrow to_ _the_ _chest and fell_ _into_ _the pool._

_Liza followed them not long after._

_Tyler competed against Liza in that challenge, eventually winning it all._

_They thought they could both make it out alive, like Gabbie and Tana. But in the end, Liza lost her head to a Harpy._

_In an unexpected twist, it was Tana that died next._

_She was betrayed by Andrea and Joey, who had gone into the challenge._

_Tana died out of nowhere, the group shocked by the turn of events._

_And then... the victim was Gabbie._

_They all voted for themselves, but Alex and Gabbie's cards were pulled._

_The group_ _waited_ _for one of them to come back._

_And that person turned out to be Alex._

_Gabbie's heart had been torn out of her chest._

_And lastly... was Alex._

_He was so close. Yet it was Andrea who found the gem._

_What made it worse was_ _that_ _he didn't_ _fight_ _back. Alex accepted his fate and joined his girlfriend._

~~~

Tyler snapped out of his thoughts, not realizing he had been sitting in his car for the past few minutes.

He hadn't even left his driveway yet.

_Get a grip._

He exhaled and drove to Joey's house.

~~~

"You guys are here!" Joey said to his fellow survivors.

Oh, and Tyler (W) of course. Can't forget him.

"Do I have to wear my Detective outfit? I burned mine so can't do that."

"Lucky for you, we don't," Joey answered.

"Let's go get our friend back," Eva said.


	6. Never Thought I'd Come Back

Safiya gasped for breath, shaken my the Ro's assault.

Thankfully, the demons disappeared before they could kill her. But maybe it would've been kinder if they did.

Her body felt weak, pain coursing through her body. She had bruises from when JC's demon battered her. Bruises from when Rosanna's demon strangled her. Emotional scars from when Colleen's demon screamed at her.

Shaking, she saw Teala's demon appear, green eyes boring into her.

**_DOESN'T FEEL NICE DOES IT?_ **

Safiya clutched her neck and didn't answer, her voice too weak and damaged to do so.

_**CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?** _

Safiya's expression hardened. These demons were getting under her skin. And she wouldn't let them get the best of her.

_**WELL, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR VOTING ME IN AND SENDING ME TO MY DEATH.** _

Suddenly, Roi's demon joined Teala, a sickly sweet smile on his face. Safiya tried not to tremble in fear.

His snake-like eyes roamed her bruises, appearing satisfied.

_**HELLO SAFIYA. MISSED ME?** _

_Roi? Yes. Whatever the hell you are? No._

But Safiya kept that to herself.

**_WELL, I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU TOO._ **

The male demon lunged at her and Safiya gathered enough strength to move out of the way.

_How am I still alive?_

She groaned quietly in pain and Roi's demon grabbed the knife the demons had gifted her.

Teala's demon quickly tackled Safiya and she struggled, knowing her attempts were useless.

She was a beaten up human against two fully healthy demons that could tear her to shreds.

Grinning wickedly, he plunged the knife and she screamed.

Right into her arm.

~~~

Joey gathered everyone into two separate cars and they all drove to Everlock.

Matt was driving one and Joey the other.

But let's just say, it wasn't going well. He was in the car with both Tylers and Andrea.

Andrea had decided to watch something on her laptop, while Tyler (O) was taking a nap. Tyler (W) was talking with Matt, trying to understand what exactly went on that night.

All was well, until it wasn't.

Matt started shaking and crying uncontrollably and the three passengers exchanged alarmed looks.

"Pull over Matt," Tyler (W) ordered.

"But, but-"

"Pull over Matt."

Matt shakily pulled over and Tyler (O) whipped out his phone, calling Joey. Andrea put a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Matt? Can you hear me? It's Andrea," she said calmly. He managed to nod, his breaths frantic and seeming lost control of his body.

"Repeat these numbers in the order for me, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Matpat nodded again. Tyler (O) had gotten out of the car to talk to Joey. Tyler (W) stayed in the car to help Andrea calm Matt down.

"54, 38, 86."

He repeated the numbers, slowly but surely. They repeated this process a few times before Matt eventually calmed down.

"Thank you," he rasped. "No problem."

"Have some water and a honeystick," Tyler offered and Matt took them gratefully. Andrea raised an eyebrow.

"The water soothes the throat from the crying and the honey is gonna heal and sooth an roughness in his throat."

Tyler figured that out when Saf woke up from a particularly awful nightmare and spent a rough hour crying in his arms.

"Hand me your car keys, Matt," Tyler instructed.

"I'm fine, Tyler. I can drive."

"No, you're not. I don't want you to have another panic attack while driving. It's not safe."

Matt and Tyler stared each other down for a few moments before Matt gave in and gave Tyler his keys.

"If you feel another panic attack coming, let me know," Andrea offered, giving Matt a small smile. He returned it before switching spots with Tyler.

The other Tyler had gotten into the car and said, "Joey, Eva and Oli are waiting about half a mile ahead of us." He noticed that Tyler (W) was driving now. "Just trail him and we'll be alright."

The group started driving again and Andrea asked, "Do you want to talk about it, Matt?"

Matt sighed. "It's just... I lost so many friends to that town that night... I can't bear to lose Safiya to it too."

~~~

_I don't know how_ _much_ _more I can handle._

Blood dripped down Safiya's arm as she tried to take care of it. Limping over to the drug store, she found what she needed and got to work.

Taking her phone out, she left it on the table and remembered the messages that Tyler sent her a few days ago.

She had left him on read, not finding the heart to answer.

**Safiya?**

**Safiya, where are you?**

**Safi p** **lease, answer me.** **I miss you.**

**Did I do** **something** **wrong?**

**Saf,** **please** **don't leave. You're** **my** **everything.** **I need you in** **my** **life.** **I'm coming to find you, even if it means I** **have** **to** **go** **to the ends of the earth for you.** **I understand if** **you** **don't want to be with me,** **but** **please come home.**

**I love you.**

Somehow, she managed to come back to the lounge again, all alone. The first time she came in here, all ten of them were alive.

And the last... only three were left.

Hearing something, she whipped around. Shaking, she feared for her life.

_If I kill myself, all of this pain will end. These battles will be over._

_I don't have to be a charity case to anyone._

_Tyler doesn't have to pretend he loves me and move on._

_Joey and Matt don't have_ _to_ _pretend to care about me._

_And these demons can leave me alone._

Turns out, she was right. She _had_ heard something.

Manny and Nikita's demons, the two friends reunited once more. They prowled towards her, matching sneers on their faces.

**_YOU VOTED US INTO THE CHALLENGE._ **

**_YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR BOTH OF OUR DEATHS._ **

**_YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THIS TOWN UNSCATHED._ **

Manny tackled her to the ground, Nikita grabbed the knife.

_Not again._

~~~

The group had finally made it to Everlock in one piece.

For the most part at least.

"Weird... the town's empty," Joey said, shuddering at the sight of the town. He wasn't too glad to be back. Especially after everything that's happened _inside_ this horrid town.

"Sleepy town," Matt murmured, avoiding looking at anything. He didn't want the memories coming back to him, but it was too late. Matt merely closed his eyes and tried to shut everything out. The screams, the bodies, the monsters... everything about this stupid place. 

"This isn't sleepy, this is _zombie,_ " Oli answered, scanning the unfamiliar town. He expected somebody to be here, but it was strangely empty. It creeped him out a little. 

"Where do you think she could be?" Eva asked, getting the group back on track. 

As if on cue, they heard a blood-curdling scream.


	7. You're Gonna Be Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The survivors (and Tyler of course) find Safiya. Alive and not so well.

"Safiya," Matt and Joey chorused, paling.

The seven of them bolted into a run, Joey and Matt in the lead, knowing this town very well.

After all, it greets them in their dreams night after night. A friendly reminder of what happened on that night. Okay, maybe not so friendly. 

Bursting into Flint's Arcade, the group went into the Divine Lounge. "Call 911 right now," Tyler (W) snapped and Andrea immediately pulled out her phone, tapping her foot nervously. "What am I supposed to say? That we're in a paranormal creepy ass town? They'd think we're insane or something and I do _not_ want to go to a mental asylum."

Oli took her phone from her. "I got this," he sighed, dialing 911.

Matt and Joey were on the floor, examining Safiya and cringing. Blood oozed from her abdomen and right arm. Bruises covered her body, ranging from her neck to her eyes. It was a miracle she was still conscious.

Barely, but that's all we can work with right now.

Tyler (W) cradled her in his arms, trying to calm her down. "You're gonna be okay, Saf. Just breathe," he murmured while Matt applied pressure to the wound on her arm.

Safiya burst into tears, shaken by whatever the hell happened to her. They knew not to ask right now, for it was not a good time to ask. Especially since she was so shaken by whatever it was.

The lights in the lounge started flickering. The group whirled around, trying to find the source. Yet no one but them was in the room. Safiya let out a cry of terror, as if she was the only one who saw it.

"What the bloody hell..." Oli said.

"This is some horror movie shiz right here," Andrea added. "Our lives are a horror movie right now," Tyler (O) agreed. "As it has been for a few years, honestly."

Once the lights turned on, Eva grabbed onto the nearest arm to her, which happened to be Oli. She was sweating and feeling nauseous.

This was because she was suffering from withdrawl symptoms. "L-look," she croaked, pointing to the wall.

Something was being written on the wall... in blood.

_**THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING** _

Demonic laughter could be heard for a brief moment before the lights turned on again, the message gone. They wondered if they were hallucinating, or the message had been real.

And Safiya had blacked out. "No, no, Saf please wake up," Tyler (W) whispered.

Joey checked for a pulse. "Weak, but still there. We gotta get her to the hospital."

"Gladly. I don't think I can stay in this creepy town much longer," Matt shuddered. He could hardly focus on anything except what went down that night. It took him all of his strength not to break down right then and there.

~~~

Joey has always hated going to the hospital. It made him feel uneasy.

What always made it worse was who he was waiting for in that place. The group sat sullenly in the hallway, awaiting news from the doctors and nurses.

They'd been here for hours. And there was no news at all.

The survivors were a mess. Tyler was a disaster. And Joey... well, he wasn't quite sure how to describe it.

In one corner, Eva was gnawing on her nails nervously and Oli had his head in his hands.

In the other corner, Andrea was tapping her foot on the ground and Tyler (O) was staring off into space.

Squished in between, Matt was muttering his twenty-one times tables (don't ask) and Tyler (W) was pacing.

Suddenly, a doctor came towards them and they all stood up immediately, eager for news. Tyler (W) most eager of them all. "Doctor... how is she?" Joey asked. 

The doctor took a deep breath and began explaining what Safiya's condition was.

~~~

The group silently walked into Safiya's hospital room. Eva cringed at the sight. She hadn't seen Safiya while they were in Everlock, too shaken by other things to look at her.

"Doctor said only one of us can stay with her. I'll book us a few hotel rooms to stay in for the night," Matt announced, walking in. They all looked at him.

"So who's staying?" Joey asked. Andrea let out a loud sigh. "It's like you have your head up your ass, Joey."

The man scoffed, offended. "Just asking, geez."

"Well, we all know who would refused to leave this damn hospital," Tyler (O) cracked, giving Joey a look.

"Can y'all not be so snarky?"

"Can you not kill everyone on Twitter?" Eva fired back, crossing her arms.

"It's not just my fault!"

"You invited us though!" Oli argued.

"Okay, can y'all shut the hell up and be quiet for two seconds? My girlfriend almost _died_ and is being _haunted and tortured_ by demonic creatures of her friends and we're playing the _Blame Game?_ You have got to be kidding me right now!" Tyler (W) snapped and the survivors went mum, looking like chastened children.

"So we all silently agree Tyler stays?" Matt asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, Matt," Joey sighed.

~~~

Soon, everyone else had shuffled out of the hospital room, leaving Tyler (W) alone.

He exhaled, pressing a gentle kiss to her head and sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

Tyler knew he probably shouldn't have done that, but he didn't care. Not at the moment at least.

Taking her hand into his own, Tyler said softly, "I'm sorry, Safi."

Looking back, he regretted a lot of things.

Letting her go that night. He should've known something suspicious was up.

Not seeing the red flags when she came back. Not being enough to help her.

Tyler could go on forever if he was honest. He felt like such a failure. Like he hadn't been a good boyfriend. Hadn't protected her enough. 

"I love you so much. Even if you don't feel the same. You could hate me for all I care. I'd still love you."

He was silent for a few minutes, looking at the woman that was once his girlfriend.

Tyler lifted her hand and kissed it. "Please... don't leave again. Your family and friends need you. _I_ need you."

And for the first time since she left, he let himself cry, releasing days worth of sadness, confusion and pain. 

~~~

The next morning, Oli groggily got up, forgetting for a short time everything that happened. He almost felt at peace for just a moment. That sliver of tranquility was refreshing, given what has been happening.

Then the memories came back with a vengeance.

"We should head to the hospital in about an hour," Joey said, who was sharing the hotel room with him.

"Should we wake the others up now?" Oli asked.

He was about to answer, but was interrupted by his phone ringing. Joey furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's Tyler (W)," he said, puzzled. He picked up the phone, putting it to his ear.

Oli heard Tyler's voice, but couldn't pick up what he was saying.

Joey's expression hardened, but then his mouth fell open in shock.

"What do you mean Safiya's gone, Tyler?"


	8. Keep on Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where exactly did Safiya go? And will the group be able to find her?

"HOW DID SHE LEAVE THE HOSPITAL?" Eva yelled, baffled. She glared at Safiya's former boyfriend, arms crossed. 

It was 7 am, she hasn't had her coffee yet, let alone properly _function_ and yet here she was.

In a hospital. With Safiya missing. Again. For the second time this week. 

"I don't know, okay? I fell asleep, woke up and she was _gone_ ," Tyler snapped, trying to defend himself. With not much success. Eva groaned and banged her head on the wall, not believing what she was hearing right now.

"You had one job. _One. Damn. Job."_

"You think I don't know that? She may be my ex-girlfriend, but I love her more than anything! Do you know what it's like to watch the person you love most slowly start to disappear from your life without you realizing it? To watch her wake up from nightmares every night and not understand a damn thing, feeling _useless?_ Realize that she left you in the middle of the night without saying goodbye?"

Eva went silent, unsure of what to say. Her anger dissipated, replaced with understanding. She looked at him in the eyes, seeing pain. His eyes were rimmed red from crying. Bags were under his eyes from sleepless nights.

"I do understand..." she finally replied, softening. "Because I lost myself." 

~~~

Safiya was in a bathroom in who-knows-where, pulling out her make-up. Unzipping her makeup bag, she took out her primer. 

They could hide her physical scars, but they couldn't hide her emotional ones. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried not to wince. She hardly recognized herself anymore. Was she still even the same person? 

Watching the bruises fade away as she applied make-up, she recalled how she had left the hospital that night. Safiya couldn't really explain the logistics of it, just how it happened.

**~~~3 am~~~**

Safiya opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room. Trying to get up, she noticed that she wasn't alone. For a moment, she panicked, but then saw who it was.

Tyler was holding her hand, fast asleep in the hospital chair, leaning forward so that his head rested on the bed. She didn't want to tear her hand from his.

But Safiya did anyway. And found herself touching him, tracing parts of him. His dark eyebrows, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, the hollow base of his neck. Safiya traced the outline stubble on his jaw and his lips.

"I love you so much," Safiya said softly. Then the lights went out. Looking around, she became alarmed.

_What's going on?_

Panicking, she hoped it was just a power outage. That it wasn't anything more than that.

_But knowing how life has been treating_ _me_ _like crap, that probably isn't the case._

**_HI THERE. MISSED US?_ **

_Oh no...what's going to happen to me this time?_

**_THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE OUR GRASP? THINK AGAIN._ **

**_WE ARE DEMONS OF HELL. WE ARE IMMORTAL. CAN'T KILL US, CAN YOU?_ **

A hand clasped around her mouth, dragging her out of the bed.

And the hand didn't feel human. Glowing eyes bore into her soul, a wicked grin on the figure's face.

Closing her eyes, she blacked out once more.

~~~

So she somehow ended up here. Not knowing where the heck she was. Only that she was in a public bathroom.

She has no idea how. And it freaked Safiya out. Adding the finishing touches, she looked in the mirror.

Nothing has changed about her. Physically at least. But she felt like she was looking into the eyes of a stranger.

**_LOOK AT YOU, DESPERATELY TRYING TO SAVE YOUR APPEARANCE._ **

**_YOU'LL NEVER BE BEAUTIFUL AND YOU KNOW IT._ **

**_NOBODY THINKS A BROKEN GIRL IS PRETTY._ **

**_NOBODY LIKES BROKEN THINGS._ **

**_BECAUSE THEN THEY HAVE TO PICK UP THE PIECES._ **

Safiya closed her eyes, tears welling up. She won't let herself cry. Not here, not now.

Safiya's already done enough crying for a lifetime. Taking a shaky breath, she calmed herself down. She tried to smile, but it felt hollow on her lips. So her lips fell into a comfortable frown. 

Zipping up her hoodie, she pulled the hood over her head and took out her sunglasses. Hardly a disguise, but it will do. She pulled it a little farther over her head.

Praying that she doesn't bump into anyone, Safiya walked out of the bathroom. After all, she was still technically a popular internet star.

People could recognize her. It was likely that they would. So she had to be alert. 

Taking in her surroundings, Safiya realized that she was in a 7-11.

_Strange..._ _but_ _where exactly am I? Which 7-11?_

Deciding to save questions for later, she knew she had to get out of this store. Distracted by her thoughts, Safiya bumped into a blonde girl.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl exclaimed and Safiya struggled to plaster on a fake smile. The hollow feeling returned again.

"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention."

The blonde narrowed her blue eyes at her thoughtfully. Safiya prayed it wasn't because she recognized her. 

"Do I know you?" the stranger asked and Safiya shook her head.

"I don't believe we have. I really must be going."

The girl didn't believe her, but before she could say anything else, Safiya bolted out of the 7-11. "Alright, you got out of there. Now figure out _where_ you are." 

The bad thing was, her surroundings weren't familiar at all. It was all foreign. 

~~~

"She's gone. Again. _Grea_ t," Eva said sarcastically, reclining on a chair. Her legs were crossed, her head leaning on her hand, which was resting on the arm of the chair.

"And it's a my fault," Tyler (W) answered, his head in his hands. Eva glimpsed at him. "No it's not. If anything it's his." Despite her accusations earlier, she softened on Tyler a little. After all, he wasn't sure what was happening. Not like how the survivors knew it. Instead, she tossed the blame on someone else.

She pointed at Joey, teeth gnashed. 

It was clear that even after three years, Eva was the one that resented Joey the most. Though who could blame her? 

The blond man glared at her. "Eva, I get that you're angry-"

The former Journalist laughed, throwing her head back. "Angry? _Angry?_ Anger alone cannot describe how I feel about you. I'm _livid._ I don't think you understand how your actions affected everyone around you-"

"I _do_ understand. You think I don't know that? Do you know how much guilt I feel every single damn day for causing not only the death of 22 YouTubers, but destroying so many families and upsetting _millions_ of fans out there? I can barely _live_ with myself. You went through it _once_. I went through this process three _times_ \- "

Eva launched to her feet and started storming over to Joey. "Don't belittle my experiences you little bastard, you started this mess-"

Oli cut in between them, acting as a barrier."Guys, enough. We're wasting time. We want to find our friend, yes? Cooperate with each other for once then."

Eva and Joey glowered each other and turned away from each other, silently agreeing. "Thank you," Oli said and turned to the other survivors, who were scrolling on their phones.

"What are you guys doing?" the former Big Game Hunter asked.

"Scrolling through Twitter," Andrea answered simply, providing no further context. How useful, Oli thought. 

"For what?" Oli asked. Matt showed him his screen. "Tweeted about Safiya going missing to see if anyone could guide us into finding her."

"Why don't you track her then?" Eva questioned, confused.

"Can't track her passport, she didn't take it with her. Somehow blocked me so I can't track her phone. I though about the possibility of an anagram, but nope. And you'd be surprised by how helpful the internet is. Or not, given it's the twenty-first century and not you know, the _Seventies-_ "

"Or not," Tyler (O) squeaked and everyone turned to his direction. "What do you mean?" Tyler (W) asked.

Tyler (O) showed them his phone.

**#LeaveSafiyatoDie**

"Little b*tches," Tyler (W) growled, snatching the other Tyler's phone out of his hands to see what it was.

~~~

Safiya shut off her phone, not wanting to read the tweets about her.

_**I TOLD YOU THEY ALL HATED YOU.** _

_**YOUR 'FRIENDS' JUST ASKED FOR HELP SO THEY'D LOOK GOOD.** _

_**THEY DON'T CARE. IT'S ALL FOR THEIR REPUTATION.** _

She sat on a bench, hugging her knees to her chest.

_The world hates me._

_And I don't blame them. If I were them,_ _I'd_ _hate me too._

Putting her earbuds in, she just listened to music and wished herself away.

_But I'm a creep_   
_I'm a weirdo_   
_What the hell am I doing here?_   
_I don't belong here_

_I don't care if it hurts_   
_I wanna have control_   
_I want a perfect body_   
_I want a perfect soul_   
_I want you to notice_   
_When I'm not around_   
_You're so f*ckin' special_   
_I wish I was special_


	9. Lost and Not Yet Found

"There's no way we can find her, can we?" Joey asked glumly, starting to lose hope. As much as he wanted to save his friend, they kept coming up at dead ends. 

It almost felt like a lost cause. It seemed like Safiya was too far gone.

"Hold that thought Joey, I found something," Matt answered as if he read Joey's thoughts. 

The survivors (and Tyler W of course) turned towards him, waiting for him to elaborate. 

The former Detective showed his screen to them. "A tweet?" Andrea questioned skeptically.

"Read what it says," Matt responded calmly.

**VanessaNygaard: I think I saw @safiyajn at my local 7-11 in Colombus, Ohio**

"Columbus, Ohio?" Tyler (O) asked, mulling over the strange location. "She got there in one night? I mean, she could've gone on a plane, but that's a little strange considering that would mean she booked a flight last minute..."

_Unless she planned this ahead of time._

"It's not impossible, but definitely is strange," Oli agreed. "Supernatural, almost."

Tyler (W) frowned and muttered, "We're going to have to be careful going around there."

"Why?" Eva asked.

"Most accident prone city in the US. Especially on a Friday. Don't want any of you guys dying. "

"But we're going to take a plane to there. We're not driving for 3 days to get to that damn place," Joey said. "That would be a waste of time."

Tyler (W) sighed, exasperated. "How do you think we're going to get around once we get there? Walking? Not very time efficient since we're trying to look for my _ex-girlfriend_ and bring her home."

"When do we leave then?" Matt cut in, changing the topic before things could get worse. He didn't want any more tension in the group.

"Tonight. I'll book us tickets," Joey replied, whipping is phone out to do just that.

~~~

_**DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY CARE ENOUGH TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU?** _

_**THEY'LL PROBABLY LEAVE YOU TO DIE.** _

_**AT THIS POINT, IT WON'T EFFECT THEM. 22 OTHERS ARE DEAD.** _

_**WHAT'S ONE MORE?** _

"Shut up!" Safiya yelled, covering her ears.

"GO AWAY!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Her whole body was shaking in fear. All she wanted was for them to go away.

Then she could be at peace. And she knew that there was only one way to do so.

To set her soul free. Can't haunt her if she's dead, can they? 

_**NEVER.** _

_**IT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE ANYWAY.** _

_**JC, ROI, TEALA, COLLEEN, MANNY ROSANNA AND NIKITA ARE ALL DEAD.** _

_**BECAUSE OF YOU.** _

_**NIKITA SHOULD'VE CAME HOME INSTEAD. SHE WAS SO MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU WERE. EVERYONE WOULD'VE BEEN HAPPIER WITH THAT.** _

_**THEY WOULDN'T BE ON THIS WILD GOOSE CHASE BECAUSE UNLIKE YOU, NIKITA KEPT UP A GUARD** _

"SHUT UP!" Safiya sobbed, wiping tears away.The voices were getting worse, more deafening and distorted. Like it was a thousand voices at the same time instead of one. It made their ever word magnified. Like they were hammering it into her skull. All picking her apart and tearing her to pieces.

"I KNOW I'M WORTHLESS BUT LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The voices slowly receded. For the time at least. The silence was beautiful. She relished it for Safiya knew they would come back soon.

If you were wondering where she was, Safiya booked herself a motel room. And was currently laying on the bed.

Hugging the pillow for comfort, she tried to close her eyes and fall asleep.

But she couldn't. Memories would haunt her as she closed her eyes, not letting her forget. Not letting her forgive herself.

Gasping, Safiya opened her eyes again.

_ Think about something else _ _._

_I can't._

_ Just do it.  _

_I CAN'T_

_ YES YOU CAN. JUST TRY. _

Safiya tried to banish thoughts of Everlock. Of the seventies. Of the date October 13th.

She couldn't help but think of _him._ She longed for his presence. He brought into a light into her life when all she could see was darkness. Her heart ached for him. She missed just as much as she missed herself.

She missed the way soothing voice brought her out of nightmares. The way he held her close and made her feel safe and at home. The way he kissed her, making her feel like she was worthy of his love and affection. Even the voices got quieter when he was around.

He made life worth living. And made her feel like she was more than what the demons made her to be.

_Then why did you leave?_

Safiya felt like she didn't deserve that. She also felt like a burden. She didn't want him to spend the rest of his life picking up the broken pieces and wallowing in darkness. 

He needed to live, truly live. And Safiya held him back. So she let him go. 

Her eyes were smarting, falling heavy as a memory resurfaced

_It was the day she came home from Everlock._

" _Saf? Is everything okay?" Tyler asked,_ _worry_ _etched in his face. She was_ _too_ _shaken to answer._

_Wordlessly, Tyler sat down next to her and pulled her into his embrace, kissing the top of her head. Safiya slowly relaxed, feeling safe in his arms. At home._

_"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly and she shook her head._

_Instead, she broke the distance between them, their lips meeting. He pulled her leg, causing her to sit in his lap. They finally broke apart, foreheads touching. Breathlessly he said, "I love you so much."_

_"I love you too."_

_"Whatever happened, know I'm here for you. Every step of the way."_

_Safiya flinched_ _. "I'm scared you'll leave if I tell you. You'll see me differently._

_Tyler_ _kissed_ _her_ _again, softly and gently._ _"I'm not going anywhere." A tear slipped down her cheek and he wiped it away, caressing her cheek. "Nothing can the way I look at you because I will love it all. The good and the bad."_

Slowly calming down, Safiya found herself at peace for the first time in a long time.

Holding onto that memory, she slowly fell asleep.

~~~

"Where the heck are we going to find her? This isn't exactly going to be as easy as finding her in Everlock," Joey said as they all headed off the plane.

"I don't know, Joey. Just let me think, alright?" Matt snapped, frustrated.

"I'm beginning to lose hope," Joey admitted. To him, it felt like a wild goose chase.

Of course he wanted Safiya to come home,but...

It seemed hopeless.

"We can't lose hope. Especially for him," Oli answered, referring to Safiya's boyfriend.

"I heard he was planning to propose, we can't lose Safiya now," Matt murmured.

_He's-_

"HE WHAT?" Andrea and Eva shouted, as if they read Joey's mind.

"SHHHH!" Matt hissed. "Listen to me guys. These nights have _destroyed_ so many people. We can't lose Safiya. Not another YouTuber. After we all fought so hard to survive."

"It would be a waste," Tyler (O) added. 

"So we find her, bring her back to LA and figure out the rest later."

"Maybe therapy could help," Oli muttered.Matt glanced at him. "None of y'all thoughts of this before?"

"We don't exactly want to trust a stranger to tell them our deepest, darkestcsecrets and thoughts and get sent to a mental asylum because most people don't believe in this shiz," Andrea reminded, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Let's go find her," Eva said and the survivors went to catch up with Tyler (W).

~~~

Matpat had been furiously typing away on his laptop for the past hour in a hotel room. "I BROKE THE FIREWALL."

Eva blinked blankly, looking like Matpat just spoke to her in a foreign language. "What?"

"The firewall that prevented us from finding Safiya. I got her location."

"Where is she then?" Tyler (W) asked.

"A local motel a few blocks from here. We can walk there."

There was a silence.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Andrea exclaimed.

~~~

Tyler (W) was lingering behind the group, lost in thought.

All he wanted at this point was Saf to come home.

He didn't care about getting back together (though he wanted to), he just wanted to see her safe and sound.

And _happy._

Whether or not it was with him.

If she was happy, then he would be too. It's all he wants.

To see her smile again.

Tyler's phone started ringing and he recognized the ringtone.

_It can't be..._

He clicked answer and Safiya's face popped up on the screen, a sad smile on her face.

"Hi Ty."

~~~

"Saf? Is that really you?" Tyler asked from the other side of the screen.

Safiya answered, "Yes, it's me."

 _"_ Please come home, Safi. Please. I need you. I'm here for you. We can _talk_ about this."

She shook her head. "Give up on me, Ty. I'm a lost cause."

"I'm _not_ giving up on you. I care for you too much."

"Just leave me be! I don't need your help! I'm too far gone. Stop wasting your time."

"Yes, you do! I'm here for you! Help me understand your pain. You're not alone! Tell me why I shouldn't."

"Because I don't love you anymore! Why chase for someone who doesn't love you back?"

His face fell, hurt by her words.

_Lies. You_ _love_ _him_ _more_ _than anything. Don't push him away._

**_LET HIM GO SAFIYA. IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT HIM._ **

**_HE'S JUST PRETENDING._ **

**_MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR HIM._ **

She couldn't make eye contact with Tyler.

"I'm not giving up on you, Safiya. I would go to the ends of the earth for you. Don't think I will stop loving you or stop searching for you. I lo-"

Safiya hung up on him, regretting calling him in the first place.

"Move on, Ty. Let me die in peace," she whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her.

Blocking his number once more, she looked at her wallpaper of the two of them.

Tyler's arm was wrapped around her waist. Both were smiling, with Safiya looking at the camera. But his eyes were locked on her, the center of his affection.

Gathering the strength, she decided to change it.

"Sometimes I wish we never met. Then you wouldn't be in this mess."

Safiya turned her phone off and tried to not think about him, instead walking towards the window, which gave her a street view.

Safiya opened her window and decided to take in the sounds of the city of Colombus.

_**GOOD GIRL.** _

"Take me back to the night we met."

~~~

_"I don't love you anymore."_

Those five words rang in his head again and again.

Safiya had to be lying... right?

Tyler didn't think she was lying. Putting his phone away, he tried to not linger on the moment for too long, catching up to the others. Even if it was a lie, it still hurt.

Matt stopped at the end of the block, pointing towards a building. It was a motel, just as he said.

"She should be staying in there," Matt said, looking up from his phone. Oli pressed the traffic light button so they could cross the street. Cars were racing by them, paying no attention to these people, wrapped in their own worries,fighting their own battles.

Just like they were. The traffic light turned red and these cars skidded to a stop.

As soon as they could start walking, they made their way across the street. Looking up at the motel, he locked eyes with someone for a brief moment. Those brown eyes were unmistakable.

"Safiya?" Tyler asked. Widening her eyes, Safiya ran from the window, disappearing from his sight line.

"Safiya!" he shouted, not caring if he looked like an idiot. Not caring if people were staring. Let them gape at him like fish, Tyler doesn't care.

_Not again..._

Then another scream caught his attention.

"OLI WATCH OUT!" Eva yelled.

He looked down just in time to see Oli get hit by a moving car.

And the driver looked at him for a second, eyes glowing red and grinning wickedly.

For a moment, the face looked like Roi's before it reverted back to a normal human's.

As if he imagined it.

"OLI!" Joey shouted, making Tyler snap back to reality.

The others let out a scream of terror as they watched their friend get hit. 

~~~


	10. All Your Fault

"NO!"

Eva couldn't comprehend what the heck just happened. She tried to piece the pieces of the puzzle together. Her mind was whirling and she felt queasy. Sick to her stomach.

It was almost like she teleported back to the 1920s again. She could almost smell the blood that was shed, hear the screams of her friends, feel the puzzles and games and the house itself, see the monsters that lie within, taste the dinner that took place beforehand-

Then she snapped back to the present, the cold harsh reality hitting her with full force.

One of her closest friends just got hit with a car. A freaking _car._ That almost reminded her of the car that took her to the Twenties and back-

_Focus, Eva. Focus on the present. Don't dwell in the past._

Well that was easier said than done. Anyway, Oli was hit by a car.

And they were now in the hospital, waiting for some news. And at this point, any news. Eva was desperate to see if he was okay. That was all that mattered to her right now.

She was really starting to grow a hate for hospitals. First Safiya, now Oli.

_Safiya..._ _where_ _was she?_

Eva hadn't seen her, but Tyler (W) did. She felt awful for him.

He was dragged into this mess when he didn't really understand the situation. 

It was his choice, but he didn't have to come along.

Tyler looked scared out of his wits. As everyone else was, but there was something different in his expression. 

Like he saw something the others didn't.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Andrea said quietly, gnawing on her nails out of habit.

Eva sighed, putting her head in her hands. "Me neither."

Everyone sat in silence for the next hour, unsure of what was to come next. It was quiet... too quiet. 

Finally, a doctor came out into the hallway, asking, "Are any of you related to Mr Oliver White?"

They all shook their heads. "No, we're close friends of Oli," Joey answered, taking the lead.

"We tried the best we could, but..."

Eva didn't need to hear the rest, holding back a chocked sob. Eva felt the world blur around her, darkness taking over her.

~~~

After a few minutes though, Eva was back on her feet, breathing flames.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Eva yelled, tears streaming down her face. "HE'S DEAD! HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" 

She let out a cry, completely shattered.

Joey flinched as Matpat pulled her into a hug. Everyone was holding back tears from the news of Oli's death.

"YOU SADIST! YOU HAVE NO SOUL! ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE IS GONE JOSEPH!" Eva cried.

"Eva, I'm sorry-"

"SORRY ISN'T GOING TO BRING MY FRIENDS BACK, JOSEPH! THEY'RE ALL DEAD! EXCEPT FOR ME! EVEN THEN, I ALMOST GOT THE KISS OF DEATH!"

Eva broke out of Matpat's grip and stormed towards Joey, but both Tyler's held her back.

"YOU MONSTER! YOU MURDERED YOUR FRIENDS WITHOUT MERCY!"

"I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE SPARED AFTER FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES, BUT APPARENTLY NOT! I HATE YOU!"

Eva broke free and ran off, her wails echoing throughout the halls.

~~~

**_LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER FRIEND OF YOURS IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU._ **

**_HELL CERTAINLY HAS A SPECIAL SPOT FOR YOU._ **

**_WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL YOURSELF SO NO ONE ELSE GETS HURT?_ **

Safiya had considered this.

It seemed like the prudent thing to do. Kill herself and everyone could move on.

No one would mourn her. No one would miss her. No one would notice.

Death was inevitable anyway, so why not let it come sooner? 

Death's embrace seemed much more gentle than what she was dealing with this right now. Perhaps she should welcome it with open arms.

But something stopped her.

Or rather, _someone_ stopped her.

_"Please come home, Safi. Please. I need you. I'm here for you. We can talk about this."_

_"I'm_ _not_ _giving up on you. I care for you too much." "_

_I'm here for you! Help me understand your pain. You're not alone!"_

_"I'm not giving up on you, Safiya. I would go to the ends of the earth for you. Don't think I will stop loving you or stop searching for you."_

Safiya saw a glimmer of hope, calling to her. But she couldn't ignore the demons.

_**LIES. ALL HE'S SPEAKING IS LIES.** _

_**HE'LL GIVE UP ONCE HE SEES THAT OLI IS DEAD.** _

_**HE DOESN'T NEED YOU. YOU'RE EXPENDABLE.** _

_**HE'LL FIND ANOTHER GIRL TO LOVE. AND HE'LL LOVE HER FAR MORE THAT HE EVER LOVED YOU.** _

_**YOU'RE A MURDERER AFTER ALL. NO ONE COULD EVER LOVE SOMEONE SO SELFISH** _

_**AND WHO'S TO SAY HE LOVED YOU AT ALL? MAYBE HE ONLY DATED YOU FOR YOUR LOOKS. FAME. MONEY.** _

_**HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY CARE.WHY DO YOU THINK HE NEVER ASKED YOU TO MARRY HIM?** _

_**HE DOESN'T WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS DAYS WITH YOU, GROW OLD WITH YOU, SPEND ETERNITY WITH YOU.** _

_**BECAUSE HE'D BE TRAPPED IN AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE. AND THEN HE'D LEAVE. JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.** _

Safiya picked up a daisy from the ground, inspecting the pure white petals. Looking so innocent, so clean, so pure.

Unlike her, whose hands were slick of blood. Blood of those seven people. 

_He loves me, he loves_ _me_ _not._

How foolish, that silly schoolgirl phrase. She dropped it and crushed it under her shoe.

_Of course he doesn't love me._

~~~

"Eva!" Tyler (O) shouted, chasing after her. "Wait! Eva!"

She ignored him, trying to get as far away from here as she could.

It didn't matter to her anymore. Eva can't associate herself with Joey Graceffa any longer.

No matter how much she wanted to help Safiya. She just couldn't stand him any more, let alone be in the same room and breathe the same air as him.

"Eva!" Tyler repeated and she whirled around, annoyed. 

"What do you want? You're not going to convince me to come back."

"I'm not... but think about what we're here to do. To help a friend out."

"At the expense of Oli's _life._ "

"Do you want the same fate for Safiya? Another friend lost?"

Eva flinched, not able to answer.

"No..."

"You don't have to come back, but if you're willing to push aside your feelings and help us out..."

Eva took a deep breath. "I'll think about it. Just give me time alone."

"Of course. And I'm sorry Eva. I know you two were close."

Tyler hugged Eva and she cried into his shoulder.

_He's gone. After fighting so hard for his life._

~~~


	11. Back to Square One

Oli White was dead.

He shouldn't be dead. 

But he was. As dead as all the others. 

This thought process came round and round again in Eva's head. She hasn't been able to stop crying ever since. Her heart ached for her friend, unable to erase the image of his last moments out of her head. 

She let out a scream, raw and scratchy from her crying. She refused to believe that he was truly dead.

It had to be a horrible dream right? Eva pinched herself as hard as she could and closed her eyes. Opening them, she found that it wasn't a dream.

This was her cold, harsh reality. The inconvenient truth.

Sitting alone on a park bench, in the middle of who-knows-where, bawling like a baby. 

_Another_ _friend_ _is_ _dead._

_I guess anyone who associates_ _themselves_ _with Joey Graceffa have a high chance_ _of_ _death._

Eva sniffled, feeling guilt gnawing at her heart.

_I saved him once, but I couldn't save him again._

She felt like she had to take partial credit for Oli's death. He died right in front of her eyes when it could've been prevented.

She could've done something. But she was too shocked and locked in place. 

Moving her hand to the right, she felt a piece of paper.

_That wasn't there when I got here. Was it the wind that blew it?_

There wasn't even a slight breeze in the air.

Taking it, she saw there was writing on it. Eva recognized the handwritting.

_ I'm sorry. _

"Safiya? You here?" Eva asked, standing up.

She didn't recall anyone else being here with her. With her paranoia, Eva constantly looked over her shoulder. 

Pushing the questions away and focusing on Safiya to suppress her grief, Eva ran around the park, trying to search for signs of her raven-haired friend.

Yet there was none to be found.

"This keeps getting curiouser and curiouser."

Eva turned on her heels and decided to go back to the others.

She may not have been able to save Oli, but she can save Safiya.

"Now how do I go back? I don't even know where I am."

~~~

Tyler (W) tried calling his ex-girlfriend with no hope of success.

She blocked him. Again.

Taking a shaky breath, he put his phone away in his back pocket, mind whirling with confusion.

He couldn't ignore what he saw. Call him crazy, but Tyler felt like he _couldn't_ have just imagined it.

He saw a _demon._ Of _Roi._

Unless Tyler was going insane, he was pretty sure it was real. But was pretty positive he was sane for the most part.

Even just the sight of _one_ of the seven demons unnerved him. He couldn't fathom how Safiya was feeling.

Which is why he was even more determined now to bring her home. Since he was alone (Matpat was in the other room talking with Joey), Tyler let himself cry.

He wasn't afraid to show his emotions, toxic masculinity has never been a problem, but he didn't want to be pitied 

Not when Tyler felt useless enough to the situation.

He was the only one who didn't go through that dinner party, masquerade ball and rescue mission. He didn't know what it was like.

But Tyler wanted to _try_ and help. Because he loved Safiya.

Always have and always will

"Saf, please. Come back to me," Tyler whispered, tears streaming down his face.

~~~

_**SINCE OUR FIRST ATTEMPT IN TRYING TO GET YOU TO KILL YOURSELF DIDN'T WORK, WE'RE GONNA TRY AGAIN.** _

Safiya was rocking back and forth, scared for her life. Even if she was trying to end it to escape the demons in the basement of her soul.

They've invaded her soul for far too long. She wanted freedom, a way out.

And the only way she could get that freedom was death. 

_Not again, not again, not again, not again._

_**WE TOLD YOU WE WOULD MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN.** _

"STOP IT! MY LIFE IS ALREADY MISERABLE ENOUGH! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Her friend got ran over by a car, she told the love of her life (now ex-boyfriend) she didn't love him anymore and fed him lies and was now being hauled around by demonic creatures.

And Safiya didn't know where she was going. 

She felt trapped in her own _body._ Her own _mind._

Safiya didn't feel like she was herself anymore. She felt like the property of a demon.

Er, demons.

~~~

Matt, Joey and Tyler (O) were gathered in a tense circle in the last two's shared hotel room.

None knew what to say. If there was anything to say at all.

As for the others, one friend was dead, one friend was being haunted by demons, one friend ran off because she was pissed, one friend was probably having an emotional breakdown because he's confused as hell and one friend was probably trying to keep herself together for the sake of others.

As you can tell, this was a very dysfunctional friend group.

Joey finally broke the silence."So what's our next move? We can't just repeat what we did the last two times and let her slip from our fingers." 

"We're well aware of that issue, Joey," Matt answered testily.

"But first we need to know were she's heading first," Tyler pointed out. Matt opened his laptop.

"Looks like she's heading _out_ of Ohio. To the west."

"Is there any way for us to be able to tell which state she's headed for?" Tyler pressed.

Matt shook his head. "I can't tell right now. But perhaps we can figure that out later."

"Well, we don't have much time so we gotta hurry. If these demons are driving her mad, who knows what's she's going to do?" Joey asked.

Nobody could answer.

But they all could take a few guesses.

~~~

Andrea was watching the streets of Colombus, leaning her forehead on the window.

To say that today was wild would be an understatement.

She blinked tears away, trying not to think about Oli. About Safiya. About the night in the Victorian Era. 

But she couldn't help it. It always invaded her thoughts. Visited her when she closed her eyes.

There was no escape.

No one truly escapes the night.

There are only survivors. No one escapes. They were all just lucky.

But the gift of being able to live came at a cost. Now the past would become a part of her. 

And Alison was dead. Because of _her._

Alison, a stranger who hadn't known them before that night. Who risked her life to help them time and time again.

And paid for it with her life, devoured by the wolves

If it weren't for her, Andrea wouldn't be here.

That's why she agreed to help Safiya.

Because she wasn't going to let another friend die when she could do something about it.

Not on her watch. 


	12. The Mess We've Made

_When you feel my heat_

_Look into my eyes_

_It's where my demons hide_

_It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close_

_It's dark inside_

_It's where my_ _demons_ _hide_

_It's where_ _my_ _demons hide_

Safiya's eyes flew open, taking out her earbuds. Breathing heavily, she shakily turned off her phone.

As much as she loved Imagine Dragons, that song hit too close to home. It made her think of Oli. Her fellow survivors who were trying to find her. Along with her ex-boyfriend.

_**WE'VE TOLD YOU. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE US.** _

She gnawed on her lip and sighed, putting her head in her hands. 

_One more step and this hellish nightmare will end. You can be free of the demons birthed in your soul. And everyone can move on with their lives. Without me._

~~~

"Guys... I think I know where she's headed," Eva announced, running into the hotel room, catching her breath. 

Surprisingly enough, she did come back to help the group. And pulled out the note that was in Safiya's handwriting.

On one side it said _"I'm Sorry"_

And the other said this:

_I have so many, so many regrets. So many_ _L_ _ies, so m_ _A_ _ny bro_ _K_ _E_ _n ties. I wish for_ _M_ _y old l_ _I_ _fe. Wish I_ _C_ _ould fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the nig_ _H_ _t. Oh, won't you help me escape the nI_ _G_ _ht. Oh b_ _A_ _by help me escape the_ _N_ _ight._

_Escape the night._

"Notice how there's certain letters capitalized and underlined," Eva explained, pointing at them.

Tyler (W) snatched it from her hands. "L-A-K-E-M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N," he said. "She's heading to Lake Michigan."

" _What?"_ the survivors shouted in unison. "Lake Michigan?" the other Tyler repeated, puzzled as to why it was Lake Michigan, of all places.

"Yep. It's in her handwriting."

"Could it be a trap? What if she's lying to avoid seeing us one last time?" Joey asked gently.

"He's right. What if it's a trick?" Andrea agreed.

"Saf wouldn't do such a thing," Tyler(W) argued, but Tyler(O) cut him off. "But she's made it abundantly clear she doesn't want to see you again. What if she tells us this to throw us off her scent and ends up in... I don't know, Canada?"

"He's right," Matt said, eyes glued to his laptop. "Who's right?" the two Tylers asked.

"Tyler." They both rolled their eyes. "Which one?"

" _Williams."_

The group stared at the former Detective blankly as he spun around his laptop.

"While you guys were arguing over a _note,_ I found that Tyler's right. She is in Michigan. Suspiciously close to Lake Michigan."

"Told you all," Tyler scoffed.

"It's just the Boyfriend Radar," Andrea defended.

" _Ex-boyfriend,"_ Tyler (W) corrected her.

Eva rolled her eyes and muttered something. 

~~~

"Alright guys, look alive," Matt said as they pulled up to their destination. 

If you were wondering, the group had taken a train from Ohio to Michigan and was now calling for two separate taxis.

"Quite difficult considering that I died and came back to life," Joey sighed.

Matt glanced in his direction. "I did too, you aren't special, Joey." 

Joey rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks Matt."

"You're welcome!" he chirped brightly. 

Andrea snorted. "Alright, where exactly are we headed? It's not like we're here to go swim in Lake Michigan."

Tyler (W) frowned. "As you shouldn't. The waters are one of the most dangerous to swim in the U.S."

"Thanks for the information Tyler. I'll keep that in mind," Eva replied half-jokingly.

"Oh come on Eva, we can't go swimming when our friend is in trouble," Tyler (O) scolded.

"Geez, just trying to make a joke." 

To avoid her grief... but Eva didn't admit it out loud. Instead, she clung onto her smile like the last lifeboat.

~~~

_**WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED YOURSELF YET?** _

_**YOU KNOW THE SOONER YOU END YOUR LIFE, THE BETTER.** _

_**NO MORE SUFFERING. FOR ANYONE.** _

Safiya took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sitting on the ground. The demons were right.

_This is a nice place to die._

_I mean... what more do I have to lose?_

_I don't wanna live_ _anymore_ _anyway. I'm done._

_Done with my life._

_Done with these_ _demons_ _that haunt my every moment._

_Done_ _with_ _the pity. Done with being a charity case._

_**SEE YOU IN HELL.** _

_**RIGHT WHERE YOU BELONG.** _

She stood up and started walking the edge.

~~~

"A... cliff?" Andrea questioned as Matt led the way.

Tyler (W) paled, murmuring something none of them could make out. The only bit Andrea heard was, 'Kill herself'.

Those words made her feel queasy. Was Safiya really going to kill herself? Or was she going to keep running?

Joey widened his eyes, pointing at a figure in all black up ahead. "That's Safiya!" he hissed.

"Oh crap," Eva said and they all dashed up towards their friend. "Safiya!" Tyler (W) yelled

~~~

Safiya heard people behind her. "Saf!" Tyler shouted.

She backed away from them and stumbled on her own feet, teetering over the edge.

"Go away, Tyler! You shouldn't be here! Leave me alone. I don't need you." He winced at her words. 

"No. I know you're lying to me to push me away. But I know the truth. Please come home, Safiya."

She shook her head. "I can't... those demons... They won't leave me alone... I feel trapped... I just want freedom..."

"You can fight them, Safiya! You're stronger than this!" Matt shouted. Safiya took tearful breaths. "You got through Everlock. You can get through this."

"I can't... Besides... no one needs me."

"I do, Saf. I need you," Tyler argued.

"No you don't, Ty. Anyone can be replaced."

"No... no one can be replaced. Least of all you. I love you. You're everything to me. And if I let you jump, I lose everything. Please Safi. Step away."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him. "Goodbye Tyler. I love you too. I always have. And always will. You have my heart forever."

"NO!" the group chorused and ran just as she jumped.

But Safiya wasn't the one that fell into the waters below.


	13. Another Friend Gone

"Andrea!" Tyler (O) cried, looking over the cliff. He let out a terrified scream at the sight.

Andrea was thrashing in the water, but falling from such heights in water, especially in such treacherous ones... her chances of survival were slim. It was a miracle she was still alive and keeping her head above water.

Safiya put a hand over her mouth, surprised to be alive. 

_I shouldn't be alive, I shouldn't be alive, I shouldn't be alive._

_Andrea wasn't supposed to fall. I was. Why didn't I fall?_

_HOW did I not fall?_

Safiya put her hands on her chest, breathing heavily, the world spinning and becoming blurry.

The others had left to go help, Tyler (O) leading, but she was frozen in place, shaking. "Andrea!" the group cried in the distance, sounding so far away.

**_WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT? ANOTHER FRIEND ABOUT TO DIE AND YOU'RE DOING NOTHING._ **

**_YOU'RE A TERRIBLE PERSON._ **

**_AND EVEN MORE HORRIFIC FRIEND._ **

**_GUESS THAT MAKES NINE PEOPLE THAT HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU._ **

**_YOU RUTHLESS MONSTER._ **

Safiya collapsed out of pure shock and felt the world fade to black.

~~~

Andrea's indignation of falling from a cliff and into the lake's water was soon replaced by fear.

"Guys help! Help me!"

She tried to swim to safety, arms and legs thrashing. But the currents were too strong and she felt too weak to swim, the impact of her fall affecting her. It almost felt like her life was draining out of her.

Andrea heard the shouts of others far away, but she knew they wouldn't get there in time.They were still too far to help. And she was too weak to fight.

Slowly, she stopped thrashing and fighting into the currents, her body surrendering to death.

Andrea knew it was her time to go. Tears leaked from her eyes. She wasn't ready to go. She had life to live.

She never even got to defeat her own demons. Though they weren't literal like Safiya's, her demons were still ever present.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the former Mystic didn't know if it was a figment of her imagination, but suddenly a demonic version of Manny appeared in front of her eyes.

His arm encircled her waist and pulled her down.

Andrea let out a cry, but it was washed out with the lake water. Water began filling in her lungs as she was dragged underneath by the demon as Andrea suffocated, not able to breath under the water.

She thought of poor Oli and how it was only two days prior that he met his end.

Now it was her turn to meet her hand.

Her thrashing arms and legs collided with the demon as she tried to right herself. Her head rose before the surface for the briefest of moments and Andrea gasped for air.

Andrea opened her mouth to scream, but Manny's hand covered it from behind. Another arm dragged her further down.

She struggled, but with a demon clinging to her back, the currents and her being fully clothed, she became exhausted.

Her head dipped beneath the water.

A lick of flames built within her chest.

_No...please no! Wait! Not yet!_

As Andrea sank, she reached out a hand. Manny pinned her down by the shoulders. She bucked, trying to dislodge the weight.

But a human was no match for a demon.

Her legs collapsed beneath her and her last breath burn it's way out of her lungs, sending bubbles to the surface.

Manny released her, but it was too late.

Andrea's lifeless eyes stared at the surface, mouth in an o-shape.

~~~

"NO!" Tyler (O) cried as they finally got there.

Eva covered her mouth, covering a cry. Matt stared at the ground, tears brimming. Tyler (W) just stood there, looking like he's just seen a ghost. Joey couldn't even look at the water.

Another friend gone. And it had only been two days since the first death. 

Was it just bad luck or were they cursed? It seems some don't think it's a coincidence.

~~~

"So who's gonna be next to go?" Matt asked and the group flinched. "First Oli got ran over by a car, then Andrea drowns in a lake. I sure hope it's not me, because unlike the rest of you, I have a _child."_

"No else is going to die, Matt-" Joey started, but Matt interrupted him.

"Liar. You know fully well that we might. Happened three times already, won't be surprised if Round 4 is happening right before our eyes."

"But it isn't my fault-"

The former Journalist cut the Savant off. "It's not actually. It's hers." She pointed at Safiya, glaring daggers at her.

The ravan-haired woman trembled, still crying from the incident. Tyler had been by her side the whole time refusing to leave her side. He had wrapped his arms around her protectively and glared at Eva.

"It's not her fault, Eva-"

"Oh really? Another friend is dead! And it was because we were trying to save her! Your _ex-girlfriend!_ So tell me Tyler, how is it not her fault! Oli's dead. Andrea's dead. Why? Because we hauled our asses across the damn country on a wild goose chase to stop her from dying, only to have them die instead! I'm tired of chasing her around when I feel like we're all gonna die trying!" Eva lashed.

"Well, our friends are tired of being dead!" he fired back, stroking his ex-girlfriend's hair. He held back the urge to kiss her head.

Safiya held tears back and ran off, breaking away from Tyler's embrace.

"Saf!" Tyler shouted, running after her. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Eva!" Tyler (O) scolded.

"What? She deserved a piece of my mind!"

"We're trying to _save_ her, not give her more reasons to kill herself!" Matt snapped.

"What were you thinking?" Joey hissed. 

~~~

Safiya ran off, finally letting herself cry.

"Safiya!" Tyler's voice could be heard in the distance but she ignored him.

All she cared about was getting as far away from this place as possible.

**_WHAT DID I TELL YOU? THEY HATE YOU._ **

**_WHY DO YOU THINK EVA SNAPPED AT YOU?_ **

**_PROBABLY WANTS YOU TO DIE SO THEY CAN ALL MOVE ON._ **

She pushed those thoughts away as she remembered how Tyler refused to leave her side.

How it felt safe. Like she was at home.

For the briefest of moments, the voices went quiet when she was with him.

But the relief didn't last long.

**_IT WAS ALL FAKE SYMPATHY. DO YOU REALLY THINK IT'S REAL?_ **

**_HE NEVER LOVED YOU. HE WON'T MISS YOU._ **

**_HE'LL BE PERFECTLY FINE ONCE YOU DIE._ **

"SAFIYA! PLEASE COME BACK!" Tyler shouted, though she could barely hear him now.

Safiya was too far ahead. Too far gone.

There was no one that could save her from herself.

She should accept that. Suddenly, a demon appeared and dragged her by her hair and she let out a cry.

~~~

Tyler heard her.

"SAF!" he yelled, hoping he would find her.

"Safiya!"

She was nowhere to be found. Impossible considering she barely had a five-second head start

_Not a_ _third_ _time...._

But he wasn't going to give up on her.

Not now. Not when she needed him the most.

No matter what others say. It may seem hopeless, but Tyler had faith. 


	14. We're Giving Up

"I've given up," Tyler (O) sighed, flopping onto a chair as the other Tyler came back.

Without Safiya. She was gone. Again. For the third time.

They say third time's the charm, but the third time didn't bring any charm at all. Instead, it brought more death. Andrea's to be specific. He shut his eyes, trying not to think of his friend. But all he could see in his mind was her falling off that cliff. And her drowning to death in that lake. They couldn't even retrieve her body. Not like Oli's. He fixed his glasses and let out a long exhale.

"There's no hope. This is just a wild goose chase," Joey agreed, running his fingers through his hair.

"For once, I agree with Joey," Eva chimed, crossing her arms.

"You guys are awful friends," Matt sniped. "Are we really going to give up on her? After working so hard to find her?"

"Andrea and Oli _died_ doing so," Eva argued. "We're going to face the same fate if we keep dillydallying across the country to get her home! Do I want her to die? Of course not, but I don't want to die either. So there's that." 

"But it's not her fault! You guys really can't think she's doing this on purpose. She isn't trying to hurt anyone... only herself. For the damage we've seen, we've caused. But it wasn't really our faults to begin with."

"They're her demons! They come from her mind! Her soul basically!" Tyler (O) countered.

"From what we've seen, she can't _control_ them. They're _demons._ She's human last time I checked. Nicholas didn't possess her or anything, he's dead dead. Deader than dead. "

"Maybe she didn't intend for this to happen. But maybe when she didn't want us to find her and to get rid of us... well...." Joey trailed off, knowing that he took it too far. But at the same time... can you blame him? It felt like an all-survivor season of this never-ending horror sit-com. Instead of worrying for her safety, he found himself worrying about who would die next. As bad as it sounds, he could be right.

It wasn't a coincidence anymore now that Andrea's drowned. Even with Oli's. It was out-of-the-blue. Yet death came at the strangest of times... right? 

"You can't think Saf would want to hurt you guys," Tyler(W) said softly, speaking up for the first time. "That's not Safiya guys. You can't think that-"

"We don't," Matt interrupted, glaring at the others. "We're not saying that, but what we're saying is that we can't keep just letting ourselves get killed off. These demons... they're too strong, guys. We can't beat them. We're only human. And we bleed and we hurt and we die. Those guys? They can't do any of that. They can only cause that," Tyler (O) defended. 

"Exactly. She shouldn't die, but how can we even help if we know that she's so far gone? How can we help her if she doesn't want help? What can we do? There's a limit to everything," Joey added. "Even hope dies eventually." 

Eva merely burst into tears and declared, "I can't. I can't do it anymore. It's too much. They're both dead. My friends. _Our_ friends. There's only so much I can take." 

"Well, if you don't want to help, then I'll do it myself. I'm tired of y'all acting like she's some sort of villain. She's done terrible things, but she's not a _monste_ r," Tyler (W) replied testily before storming off.

~~~

The group sat in silence, their morale low after Tyler(W) left.

Matt had tried to go after him, but Joey stopped him, saying, "He needs to cool off. Give him some time alone."

Eva picked at her nails, trying to wipe her tears away, but failing. "She's a goner. There's no saving her. Nobody can save her. Not even Tyler can. We couldn't save Oli. We couldn't save Andrea. So how the hell can we save Safiya? I hate to say it, but... I regret agreeing this to this."

"I can't say if I regret it or not," Tyler (O) added. "But I think it's best we go home, guys. We have to tell their families. I can't... I can't watch another friend die."

Matt stood up, having enough of their crap. "Go home then. I'm done having you guys sh*t on my friends. Hope you can live with the fact that you're willing to let our friend suffer and kill herself and not do anything about it."

Joey didn't say anything at all, unable to make eye contact.

"I thought you all were good people, but you're just a bunch of cowards," Matt seethed.

~~~

_**GO DIE ALONE SAFIYA.** _

_**NO ONE CARES.** _

_**NO ONE WILL MOURN.** _

_**LOOK AT HOW DEFEATED THEY LOOKED WHEN ANDREA DIED.** _

_**LIKE THEY HAVE GIVEN UP.** _

_**NO ONE WILL COME AFTER YOU.** _

_**IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME ANYWAY** _

Safiya sighed softly as she gathered her thoughts.

She was back home. Well... not really.

Los Angeles was never really home. The people in it did. But they probably didn't care.

It felt cold here now, ironic since LA was infamous for its sunny weather.

Who would've thought she would come right back to the place she ran from? Not that she had any choice in the matter.

The perks of having demons practically _own_ your soul... which they are no perks. Only makes your life absolute Hell.

Trudging through the bustling streets, she did her best to hide her face so no one would recognize her.

Didn't need another 7-11 incident. That was stupid of her to bump into the girl. Not that she blamed the girl of course.

If she were in her shoes, she'd probably tell people where Safiya was too. For it was the right thing to do.

And it seemed that Safiya has been making a lot of bad choices as of late.

_**THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM.** _

_**YOU'LL BE DEAD BY TOMORROW.** _

_**LET'S SEE HOW YOU CHOOSE TO KILL YOURSELF.** _

Safiya started humming and eventually began to sing, _"Are you, are you coming_ _to_ _the tree? Where_ _they_ _strung up a man, they say who murdered three."_

~~~

Tyler (W) was wandering around, letting his feet take him wherever. At this point, he didn't care. He just needed to get away from everyone.

He couldn't believe they would say such things about her.

Tyler understood they didn't mean it with malice, but it still angered him.

How _dar_ e they? Surely they would understand because they went through something similar!

They understood her pain, her tears, her terror, _everything_ that had to do with that night more than he ever will.

And yet... was this because he was the only one to have not gone through with this?

Did they give up because they saw something he couldn't see?

_No... I can't give up on her. I just can't._

_You_ _never_ _turn_ _your back on someone who_ _needs_ _you._

Safiya may push him away, but she needed help. And that was why he refused to give up on her.

She would do the same for him. Then he heard a ding.

It was from an unknown number.

**Unknown:** **Are you, are you**   
**Coming to the tree**   
**They strung up a man**   
**They say who murdered three**   
**Strange things did happen here**   
**No stranger would it be**   
**If we met at midnight**   
**In the hanging tree**

**Are you, are you**   
**Coming to the tree**   
**Where dead man called out**   
**For his** **L** **ove to flee**   
**Strange things did happen here**   
**N** **O** **S** **tr** **ANGE** **r would it be**   
**If we met at midnight**   
**In the hanging tree**

**Are you, are you**   
**Coming to the tree**   
**Where I told you to run**   
**So we'd both be free**   
**Strange things did happen here**   
**No stranger would it be**   
**If we met at midnight**   
**In the hanging tree**

**Are you, are you**   
**Coming to the tree**   
**Wear a neck** ** L ** **ac** ** E ** **of hope**   
** S ** **ide by side with me**   
**Strange things did happen here**   
**No stranger would it be**   
**If we met at** ** midnight **   
**In the** ** hanging ** **tree**

Then the weire thing was, the song changed.

**Welcome to the** ** Hotel ** **California**   
**Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)**   
**Such a lovely face**   
**Plenty of room at the** ** HO ** **tel Ca** ** L ** **ifornia**   
**Any time of year (any time of year)**   
**You can find it here**

**Her mind is Tiffany-twisted**   
**She got the Mercedes Benz, uh**   
**She got a** ** L ** **ot of prett** ** Y ** **, pretty boys**   
**That she calls friends**   
**How they dance in the courtyard**   
**S** ** W ** **eet summer sweat**   
**S** ** O ** **me dance t** ** O ** **remember**   
**Some** ** D ** **ance to forget**

**So** ** I ** **called up the Captai** ** N **   
**"Please bring me my wine"**   
**He said, "We have** ** N ** **'t had that spirit here since 1969"**   
**And still those voices are calling from far away**   
**Wake you up in the middle of the night**   
**Just to hear them say**

**-Saf**

Tyler paled, immediately understanding.

He pulled up and started looking for the next flight back to Los Angeles

"I promise you Safi, I _will_ bring you home. Even if it costs my life," he vowed.

Little did he know, he wasn't the only one flying back to the City of Angels.

Ironic, since we're dealing with demons, who are fallen angels.

The rest of the group was going back too.

Two parties, same place, different reason.

And motivation.


End file.
